Students from the 5th Congressional District, which Congressman Lewis represented, will join students from Fairfax County, VA to tour sites in Georgia & Alabama
ATLANTA, GA, USA, March 22, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation (JLMLF) is excited to announce its inaugural students’ civil rights tour. A group of high school students and teachers from the 5th Congressional District, which Congressman Lewis represented for 34 years, will join students and teachers from Fairfax County, VA to tour civil rights sites in Montgomery, Troy, Selma and Atlanta from April 2 until April 5. Two JLMLF members, Mr. Stephen McDaniel and Ms. Mignon Morman Willis, who knew Congressman Lewis well and had many opportunities to tour the sites with him, will accompany the group.
The students are being encouraged to think about lessons & strategies of the Civil Rights Movement and how they apply today.” Linda Earley Chastang, President and CEO of the JLMLF The students will learn from and be inspired by visiting significant sites in civil rights history, including the Rosa Parks Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (the “National Lynching Memorial”), the Equal Justice Institute’s Legacy Museum, the Freedom Rides Museum and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Congressman Lewis’ birth home in Troy, the Brown Chapel AME Church, the National Voting Rights Museum and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, and the King Historic district in Atlanta. They will have an opportunity to engage with some people who had first hand experiences with some of the civil rights events and leaders, including Congressman Lewis’ family members who will accompany them on a visit to the Congressman’s birth home, as well asthe Superintendent of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Dr. Joy Kinard, and Ms. Lecia Brooks, who began her career as a teacher and has spent 20 years at the Southern Poverty Law Center where she served as Chief of Staff and Director of the SPLC’s Civil Rights Memorial Center.
The students will return from this tour with a unique and in-depth understanding of the people who fought for and won civil, human, and voting rights for all and the events that changed the course of history. We expect that the students and teachers will use social media to document and share their experiences, reactions, and thoughts along the tour.
The JLMLF has provided study materials, including copies of Congressman Lewis’ autobiography, Walking with the Wind for each student. “As they are studying the materials, the students are being encouraged to think about lessons and strategies of the Civil Rights Movement and how they apply today,” said Linda Earley Chastang, President and CEO of the JLMLF. “Congressman Lewis would want us to know that it is the courage and vision of young people that changes the course of history,” Chastang added.
“Young people have a special responsibility and role to play. That is why we must inspire them, elevate them and encourage them. And, that is why the Foundation is hosting this tour,” added Michael Collins, JLMLF Board Chair.
About The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation (JLMLF)
The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, Inc. was conceived by Congressman Lewis to carry on his and his wife’s passion for purposeful living, civic engagement and building the “beloved community,” and to inspire and support Good Trouble.
This press release can be viewed online at: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/623523468
As a nation, if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move our feet, our hands, our hearts, our resources to build and not tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate.